Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2006-07: Alex Grant spent the campaign with Saint John in the QMJHL. He appeared in 68 games, contributing 12 goals and 20 assists. Grant was chosen in the fourth round, 118th overall, of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2007-08: The past season saw Grant mature on and off the ice as he finished seventh in scoring among defensemen in the QMJHL and first on his team. He saw his ice-time increase as he played in special teams situations and he improved his overall defensive game, finishing with a +17. Grant’s playoff run was fairly good, posting a point-per-game en route to an appearance in the semi-finals of the President’s Cup.

2009-10: Signed to an entry-level deal, Grant was assigned to the ECHL Wheeling Nailers to start the year.

2010-11: Grant missed the bulk of the season because of a wrist injury sustained in a prospect scrimmage. When he did return, he split time between the ECHL and the AHL, where he managed 5 points in 14 games and 0 points in 4 games respectively.

2011-12: Grant made huge strides in his third pro season after missing much of the previous year due to injury. A healthy scratch at times early in the year for Penguins' AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he worked his way into a key role – scoring 10 goals with 27 assists and finishing plus-five with 73 penalty minutes in 61 games. The Penguins reached the second round of the AHL playoffs after finishing second in the East Division. Grant scored 2 goals with 5 assists and was plus-one with 13 penalty minutes in 12 playoff games. He was re-signed by the Penguins to a one-year deal in August, 2012.

Talent Analysis

Grant is an offensively minded defenseman who possesses good size, passing ability, and a cannon of a shot from the blue line. He is however not a particularly dynamic defenseman and can at times be a liability in his own end. Though mobile he lacks quickness. Also, his gap control is not particularly good either.

Future

Grant was dealt by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Anaheim Ducks in a deal prior to the 2013 NHL Draft. Grant was dealt again, this time at the 2014 NHL Trade Deadline, from the Ducks to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Andre Petersson.

Photo: Selected in the 2nd round of the 2011 NHL Draft, defenseman Scott Harrington has quickly developed into one of the Penguins most promising defensive prospects. (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL)

If the old adage that says success breeds more success is correct, then the future for the Pittsburgh Penguins appears quite bright. The organization has many players who went the distance in their respective post-seasons, including three who competed for a Memorial Cup, two who played in the NCAA Frozen Four, and roughly a dozen more currently competing in the NHL and AHL playoffs.

Photo: Defenseman Joe Morrow is one of eight Penguins prospects playing in their first year of professional hockey. Morrow was selected 23rd overall by the Penguins in the 2011 NHL Draft. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Like many teams in the AHL, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are beneficiaries of the ongoing NHL lockout, with several players who would normally be competing for a job in the NHL instead playing in the minors. Despite this flux of NHL caliber talent, the team has struggled all season, particularly on offense, where they rank among the bottom in the league.

Photo: Winger Ben Hanowski is just one of several talented forward prospects the Penguins have at the NCAA level. (Brace Hemmelgarn/Icon SMI)

Over the past four seasons the Pittsburgh Penguins organization has made a concerted effort to draft quality defensemen and now boasts one of the deepest groups of defensive prospects in the NHL. Their forward depth, while not as impressive as the defense, has also come a long way and now has quality prospects at every position.

Photo: Olli Maatta is one of several Penguins prospects who could see a huge spike in production over the 2012-13 season. (Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins organization injected their prospect pool with a massive amount of talent at every level this past off-season and will consequentially head into the 2012-13 season with many questions. There will be eight new additions to their minor-league roster, but there will also be many eyes on 2012 first round draft picks Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maata, both of whom recently signed entry-level contracts.

Photo: Finishing the season with an OHL championship and an appearance at the Memorial Cup, defenseman Scott Harrington easily saw the most post-season success of any Penguin prospect. (Aaron Bell/CHL Images)

Only two years ago an extended run in the NHL post-season was a seeming right of passage for the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and their rabid fanbase. But after two consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009, the Penguins have experienced dramatic early post-season upsets, the first in 2011 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and most recently in 2012 to the Philadelphia Flyers.